Artist of the Day: The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers, hailing from the Catskill Mountains of New York, have been hitting the festival circuit and picking up steam lately. Everything about this band says “down to earth.” Here’s the evidence:

1. Their music, which has an up-tempo folk sound with a twinge of country, sans any pretentious studio polish.
2. Speaking of studios, they built theirs from the remains of an abandoned chicken coop.
3. Humble beginnings. They began playing together on Sundays at their father’s afternoon barbeques. After that, they started playing in the New York City subway stations.
4. The songs talk about the standard topic of love, but also train stations, jail cells, rivers, death and baseball.
5. At the 2008 Newport Folk Festival a thunderstorm erupted during their set, cutting the power to the Felice Brother’s stage. Without hesitation, the band jumped down off of the stage and began playing acoustic, stomping around barefoot in the mud.

I got to review this CD for Issue 8 (thanks, Alec), and even though folk has never really been where my heart’s at, after a few spins it really grew on me.

Who’s Who: Ian Felice (vocals, guitar), James Felice (accordion, organ, piano), Simone Felice (drums) Christmas Clapton (bass), Greg Farley (washboard, fiddle)

Latest Release: Yonder Is The Clock (2009)

Formed: 2006 in New York

Label: Team Love Records/New York Pro

Website: www.thefelicebrothers.com

-Julie McCollum

Listening to “Penn Station” by the Felice Brothers (favorite track)

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